


Fractures

by Xx_JaysGirl_xX



Category: Scream (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, some chapters will have song lyrics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2019-08-19 13:31:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16535495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xx_JaysGirl_xX/pseuds/Xx_JaysGirl_xX
Summary: What happens when everything you thought you knew is wrong? When you can't trust that little voice that helps you make rational decisions? You go into fight or flight. All you can do from that point on is protect yourself from the tiny fractures. Mental or physical. Audrey realizes she's wrong. And now, it's up to her and 3 unlikely others to fix Lakewood for better or for worse.





	1. Crashing Down the Ancient Roads

**Author's Note:**

> ``Story title comes from a favorite song of mine that I feel perfectly fits Audrey. It's called Fractures by Illenium and Nevve. Each chapter title will contain lyrics from the song, as well.  
> ``Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I don't own the series, the characters, etc. etc...  
> ``So this story is going to start off from the end of the second season. I wll however change some physical aspects of characters, like height, hair length, eye color... things like that, only because it helps this story later on.  
> **ALSO on a VERY VERY VERY important note; in my fic, Kieran and Audrey knew about each other the entire time, and have known each other for a few years by the time he started school at Lakewood, but they don't remember each other. And Kieran knows Stavo from his childhood and they went to school together in ATL. It's also pretty important to know for my story that Piper's body has never been found.  
> **2 character deaths that happen in the show are actually null in this story. For my story, Clark Hudson is still alive, barely surviving his gruesome attack and now works at the Lakewood County Courthouse as an official for the Police Station. And Eli "the most adorable heart-eyed puppy" Hudson should have never died in my opinion, sooooo yeah, he's alive too!!
> 
>  
> 
> **********Also, please please please review or leave kudos, that is the only way I know how well received my stories are so I know whether or not to actually update them or not**********

Yes, Kieran was angry. Yes, he was angsty, and could be violent. The guy radiated broodiness and metaphorically speaking, he oozed sarcasm.

On a back burner, Audrey always remembered him, but didn't know why until the very moment she looked up and saw the masked person leering over him. When she saw them, she also heard a name she hadn't heard in 3 years.

Wade Hudson.

A boy who she spent two summers at a camp for troubled youth with. He was her best friend, and he was her protector. Wade never let anyone near Audrey, and the one time someone bullied Audrey at the camp, 14 year old Wade beat the shit out of the 17 year old in question.

She looked up and saw a picture on a screen, a picture that she recognized so well, but no one bet her could tell someone who the two kids were in the picture. There was a slightly smaller boy, around 13, in fact, Audrey could tell you that it was right after his thirteenth birthday because that picture was a camp celebration for his birthday, the boy wasn't much bigger than 5'4 and 110 pounds with a little muscle definition from doing summer cleaning tasks around the camp.

Also in the picture, a very small, very frail 12 year old. Her arms so little that even back then, his hands could literally wrap around them because she was so tiny. The little girl had big brown eyes, long dark, wavy hair. She was maybe 4'10 and 80 pounds.

Both kids in the picture were beaming with smiles. She gasped quietly, because it crossed her mind in that very moment - Kieran Wade Wilcox was once Kieran Wade Hudson. He was angry because he didn't know anything about his parents. His mom told him one thing, but he would always hear different from his grandparents.

So, to say that Kieran was all of those things; angry, angsty, and violent, those words meant nothing to her because he'd always been those things. But he had also always been a great friend.

In a slight moment of weakness, Audrey looked towards Kieran. He had his arms crossed on the table in front of him, and his head was down. It was obvious he didn't want to look at anyone. He first came in with a cocky attitude, and now he was reserved, and it looked as if he was hiding himself. But from under his bicep, Audrey could see that he was staring right at her. He remembered too.

She wasn't sure if it worried her, bothered her, or made her happy to know that he remembered the friendship that they shared what felt like so long ago. It made since, she met Piper at the camp, just like he had. She always warned him that Piper liked to get people into more trouble than they already were, and that if he didn't watch his back, that Piper would do bad things and blame him for them, like she had done to Audrey before.

The look on his face told her everything she needed to know.

I didn't really do it. You were right. I'm taking the fall for Piper.

Against her better judgement, Audrey looked up. Kieran hadn't seen the figure in the rafters, she knew he hadn't. Otherwise he'd have made some move to get himself somewhere safe. Well, safer than here. Safer than out in the open. Luckily, Kieran kept his head down and didn't follow her gaze. She assumed he thought she just didn't want to look at him. Which, she didn't. She was angry that she spent two summers protecting him from his anger and from Piper, and yet here he was taking the fall, being Piper's little bitch.

Audrey stood up and stormed out of the courtroom. She noted that the figure was no longer over Kieran's head.

She felt some relief at that. Audrey kept walking once out. She walked right to her car and called an unknown number on her phone.

A raspy voice answered, "Hello?"

"Are you at the courthouse?"

"No, why?"

"Kieran's taking the fall for Piper. He didn't do this. I can feel it. The Kieran that I went to that stupid camp with never would have done any of this. I know that this wasn't him," she spilled everything she was feeling. A sigh was heard on the other end.

"Shit, I forgot you both went to that same summer thing. Meet me at the prison, Audrey, please."

"You're out of that rehabilitation facility?"

"Yeah, we need to get to the prison before Kieran, though. If someone's planning something-"

"Wait, they're here! If they're here... aren't there holding cells at Lakewood County Courthouse?"

"SHIT! Audrey get back inside, get back inside now! I'm on my way!"

Audrey jumped out of her car. She ran like she had never ran before. Every fiber of her being knew that this could only end one way.

Someone was going to die.


	2. See Me Running Full Speed At It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song lyrics from Just One Yesterday F.O.B. feat. Foxes

``I thought of Angels choking on their Halos, Get them drunk on Rose Water``

In a moment like this, Audrey was rather aggravated that one of her favorite songs was stuck in her head. As she ran all she could hear in her mind was this song, though.

It was fitting, she thought, as her now shoulder length hair flew behind her. She felt like the angels referred to would be her friends, and that Piper had them all like puppets in her hand the majority of the time.

It surprised her how fast her hair had grown in the past year. She had made a deal with Brooke, that she would let her hair grow out so Brooke could see how she looked with the longer hair. Now, her dark, wavy hair was to her shoulders and, for as much of a fuss as she originally raised about the idea of growing out her hair, she actually was growing quite accustomed to it.

Once Audrey had made it inside the Courthouse, she looked up for the desk that she knew would lead her to the holding cells.

One thing Audrey was great at was being very sneaky. It's how she stole the Brandon James mask for Piper. It was how she did most everything Piper asked her. She was so paranoid that someone would catch her one day, but in this very moment, running to try to save Kieran, Audrey had no care about being caught. In fact, she desired it.

As she passed the desk, she looked around to see if she had anyone's attention. She realized that the clerk was staring her down.

"Bye..." Audrey smiled and waved her fingers towards the man at the desk and ran through the slightly ajar door.

The clerk began shouting things along the lines of "You can't go back there!" and "Hey, get back here!"

Audrey wasn't listening to him, though. She was looking for Kieran. She knew Piper, or someone was there for him. She knew that Piper now would stop at nothing to end Kieran because now, at this point, he was a liability, and Piper couldn't afford that, nor did she really care about anyone but herself. So for Audrey, she knew that she was running to save Kieran, but she also knew that she was saving herself from who she had become. For the past couple of years, Audrey had put on a game face. She was strong, don't take that the wrong way, but she was only human. Audrey may have been able to pretend she was never scared, but on the inside, she was terrified, and having constant panic attacks.

"I need to take a leak!"

Kieran. She knew that voice. Why was life so unfair that he was so cute when they were young, and now, damn-near adulthood, he was fucking gorgeous. She guessed that would be a good thing if he did die. At least he'd be a pretty corpse.

**Kieran can't be the killer! He's too pretty!**

Audrey could hear her best friend's laugh in her ears. Brooke was right that Kieran wasn't the killer, but it wasn't because he was too pretty.

It was because Kieran, like Audrey, was good at saving face. He was a great actor and could make anyone believe just about anything.

But, Audrey always knew when he was lying. It was like some signal went off in her head.

That was just it, though. He could make most people believe him with just a look in his eyes, but Kieran was truly not a bad guy. Audrey knew that. She remembered the kid that did everything in his power to protect her.

THUD

"Oh shit..." Audrey whispered as she watched the body of the security guard hit the floor. She could see someone in the costume standing at the cell gate. She could hear his cell opening. It was now or never.

Kieran looked shocked as hell as Audrey rounded the corner with her hands in her pockets and a smirk on her face. He had always thought she was rather adorable. She was the only person other than Stavo and Brooke that he didn't really have a strong sense of dislike for.

"What's up, P?"

The killer turned to face Audrey and in the raspy and distorted voice used to cover their own, "You really don't know how to stay out of things that don't concern you, do you Audrey?"

They were tormenting her, but the smirk she held never once faltered. She just stepped closer.

"Nah, not really. I like jumping into other messes, just to see if I can make them any messier," She shrugged as she chuckled.

The killer lifted their knife, so as to scare Audrey, to show her they could destroy her, but, out of the corner of her eye, Audrey could see that Kieran wasn't having it. As the killer slowly stepped towards Audrey, now waving the blade and no longer focused on Kieran, Audrey breathed a mental sigh of relief.

``If Heaven's grief brings Hell's rain, then I'd trade all my Tomorrows for just one Yesterday (I know I'm bad news)``

She wasn't sure why she thought she saw a gleam of anger in Kieran's eyes, but the killer slowly began speaking again and her focused was pulled from her childhood hero.

"Audrey, Audrey, Audrey... When will you ever learn? No one wants you, no one cares about you. You're just a pathetic piece of- uuughhh..."

Audrey snapped out of listening to the killer to see that Kieran had his cuffs around their throat, pulling towards himself as hard as he possible could, pulling them into his holding cell.

As soon as he was clear, he bolted out of the cell and slammed the gate shut.

"You know you're caught. You know you're not getting out of this. So why not just take the fucking mask off, Piper? I knew they never found your body. I knew you'd come back for anyone who knew anything. You're predictable."

Now it was her turn to torment. To make deep verbal stab wounds, but she knew that it wouldn't hurt Piper. Piper was a sociopath. The woman literally didn't care about anyone or anything. Except revenge.

She ripped the mask off, to Kieran's surprise, Audrey was right. It was Piper. She had a manic look on her face and she began swinging her arms at the cell door, "You both ruined everything! I could have had everything I wanted and you ruined it all!"

Kieran was shocked.

"I should have killed you both when I had the chance! You're both pathetic little pieces of shit and I will kill you both one day!" as she could see the hurt in Kieran's eyes, Piper decided it was time for some more stabs, "Aww, poor Kieran, the little puppy who would do anything I ask just because you're dumb enough to believe that I loved you!" she spat her words with heavy venom, "You were so easy to manipulate, to use as my personal little toy. And I didn't even have to frame you for murder, you took the fucking blame you fucking idiot! All I had to do was make you think that I loved you, to make you think I cared. Isn't that what I taught you to do to Emma? And you never picked up on the fact that those things were the exact same things I was doing to you all along! God you're so stupid!" she was laughing now, "You were just so sad, you hated your mommy and you hated your daddy, and I taught you how to take that pain away!"

Audrey could see in his eyes that he was ready to rip Piper's head off. At this point, Killer Kieran might have been a thought on her mind.

"Come on, let's go. She can't do anything. She's trapped, Kieran."

Audrey grabbed for his arm very lightly. She knew he hated being touched when he was angry.

He slowly looked away from Piper, down to Audrey. Kieran nodded in acknowledgment of her words.

A few cops were now behind them, they heard Piper's spiel. All of them walking around Kieran and Audrey who were now walking away.

As the cell door opened, Audrey felt a chill. She didn't like that feeling either.

Sure enough, Piper still managed to have her knife and was swinging at the cops around her. She was free enough that she could run from their grasps, and began laughing maniacally as she ran towards Audrey and Kieran. Piper stabbed Kieran in the shoulder and threw Audrey up against a cell door and slammed her head into the bars multiple times.

POP POP POP

Audrey's ears were ringing, but she didn't care. Her face felt like it was on fire. She also didn't care about that. She needed to find Kieran. As she looked behind her, she saw Piper with three gunshot wounds. Lying on the ground, gurgling blood, "Good, you finally know what it feels like to know your cancerous ass!" The venom dripping from Audrey's words matched the venom in Piper's when she accused Kieran of ruining everything.

``I don't have the Right Name, or the Right Looks, but I have twice the Heart``

She saw Kieran out of her peripheral vision. She slowly pulled herself to him and looked over his wound.

The knife was still embedded into his back, and he was on his hands and knees trying to get up.

"Are you okay?" He mustered a very mumbled response to her being by him.

"Yeah, I'm good," Audrey lied. She was in horrendous pain at the moment that covered her entire head, but she knew to fake it. Pretend that the pain didn't exist for now.

"Who?" Kieran asked quietly, and as he looked up tears formed in his eyes. Tears of anger, sadness, relief.

Audrey was always good at reading Kieran, she just had to be able to see his eyes. The eyes that matched to ones he was staring into in that very moment of weakness.

Clark Hudson. His father.

Kieran was always taught to believe that his family didn't care. No one loved him. Piper made him believe those things. Now, he was beginning to regret everything he'd ever done since he'd met the nut job.

Clark scurried to the 2 teens on the floor and helped them up. He walked them out to the awaiting crowd that Brooke and Stavo were standing in front of.

Seeing her friends, especially the blonde, made Audrey smile. She had made it out alive, and she had saved Kieran from a certain death. She was pretty fucking proud of herself.


	3. Call Me Post Traumatic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kieran will be referred to as Wade in flashbacks from his and Audrey's Troubled Youth Camp/Also when he calls Audrey by the name Drey, it's pronounced Dree
> 
> song lyrics from Silence by Khalid

``Yeah, I'd rather be a lover than a fighter; Cause all my life I been fighting``

Looking around at the white walls and the hospital equipment in the room with her, it had crossed Audrey's mind how many times she and her friends had been in and out of these rooms the past couple years. Her eyes began to burn, tears for the people who were killed because of Piper. Because of her. She had brought Piper here after all. Of that, Emma was right. Audrey wouldn't deny it.

She looked to the sleeping body of Kieran. He looked so helpless in his stark white hospital gown, his hair was a mess in his face. And his face, so pale compared to the sun-kissed glow it normally radiated. His body jolted, she assumed from some sort of pain in his shoulder by the way he reached towards his neck. The grimace that graced his face along with the groan made Audrey hurt.

Brooke and Stavo stumbled quietly through to door with Noah and Emma trailing behind them.

"Hey, Babe."

Audrey turned to give Brooke a half smile. The friends hugged one another tightly as they felt the weight of the world slightly fall away from their shoulders.

Since Brooke's Halloween party last year, she and Audrey had become like sisters. They were almost always together, and always joking about something. Everyone in town knew that their friendship, as short as it was so far, would be a long lasting one. Maybe a forever friendship - if they were lucky. Maybe like their moms, Alison and Monica. Best friends without a second thought to what the other needed or asked. If they needed one another, they'd be there. Brooke and Audrey already shared that friendship. So many deaths, so much hurt. It had made them grow close.

"You guys ok?" Stavo asked quietly, so as not to wake Kieran, or disturb Audrey's moment of peace.

"I'm in better condition than he is, and my face was bashed off of a holding cell door what felt like a thousand times. She lodged a 7 inch knife in his back, though, so it's understandable that he's in rough shape," Audrey babbled. She was seriously worried about whether or not Kieran would wake.

"Audrey, the guards said that Piper bashed your head off of the holding cell gate 10 times. You walked behind Kieran because you knew Piper wouldn't give up. Why? You had to know that she was going to try to kill whoever she got to, both of you if she had the chance," Noah pointed this all out right as Kieran began to stir from his sleep causing all 3 of the awake teens to turn their attention to the in-pain teen next to them.

As he sat up, Kieran could feel people staring at him. Before looking up he spoke in a hoarse voice, sleep ridden and pain laden, "Stop fucking looking at me, right now..."

"Dude, don't be an ass right now, I don't want to hear it. I promise you, I am in just as much pain as you, at this moment."

Kieran avoided the gazes of Brooke and Stavo, as well as Emma and Noah, staring right into Audrey's eyes, "I wasn't talking to you," his face distorted at the pain surging through his arm. Wanting to grab his arm, knowing not to because it would only cause him more pain, Kieran groaned angrily.

Stavo moved to say something, but Audrey just put her hand on his wrist and shook her head.

Audrey knew that an angry Kieran was not one to mess with, she knew not to try to reason with him while he was like this. She learned that at their troubled youth camp. Audrey, however, knew the true cause of Kieran's anger was not his pain.

It was Emma, Noah, Piper, everything he was being thrown into all at once. Finding out everything he's been told for 3 years by Piper, the woman he thought he loved, had been a lie. Maybe this was how his dad felt when his mom lad lied and left. Kieran knew more about that than anyone truly knew. He was just good at lying. Something that led him to meeting Audrey.

``I found peace in your violence, Can't show me there's no point in trying``

Audrey could feel the anger towards Emma radiating off of him. That was one thing she knew wasn't a lie. He hated Emma. There was no true reason, he just hated her golden girl personality. The girl who gets everything she wants. Kieran always hated girls like that, at least that was what Audrey had noticed about him. He felt like those girls never truly worked for anything. He had always told never to fall for the golden boy because that was his shared opinion of those types of people.

Audrey wanted so badly to take away the anger, she knew that only Kieran could stop himself from being angry, but she also knew that an angry Kieran would be hell to deal with if he stayed angry longer than 10 minutes.

"How long have you guys been here? I haven't been up very long, so I am going to assume you've been here a bit?" Audrey looked to Brooke for an answer, knowing Stavo was clearly worried about his childhood best friend being so angry, worried about him taking the fall for more than 10 homicides.

"Since you guys got brought here yesterday afternoon. None of us wanted to leave until we knew you were okay," Noah spoke up.

Out of the corner of her eye, Audrey saw Kieran shiver, and that alone was a clear sign that just Noah's voice was setting him off.

"Well, maybe you guys should all head out. Go get something to eat or something. Go home get a shower. I'm sure that we all have some form of homework. I know I still haven't finished my essay from Mr. Briggs' Around the World project, so I am assuming I probably am not the only one," Audrey was kindly trying to get them to leave, Kieran could sense it, so could Brooke and Stavo.

"You know, that's a great idea! Group studying!" Noah exclaimed.

"No!" Kieran shouted, wincing at how little movement could make him hurt so much.

"Guys, Kieran and Audrey both need rest. We should be good friends and respect that," Brooke's newfound mom-voice was starting to make Audrey feel better. Even as the party girl, Brooke knew when it was time to settle down and stop partying, or she had learned in the past year to, at least.

"Brooke's right, guys. Kieran had a 7-inch knife lodged into his back, and Audrey had her face bashed off of a holding cell door-"

"10 times, yeah, can we stop with the numbers and the mental reminders, please!" Audrey groaned. She was starting to get a headache from everyone talking so much.

"Leave-" the only word that anyone could understand from Kieran. He was speaking under his breath, but everyone could see that he was getting angry. His bloodshot eyes were closed, droopy-like almost, and his hands made fists on top of his blanket. He was angry, something he knew Audrey was trying to avoid.

Emma and Noah shared a defeated glance and both left with a gentle 'good-bye'. Audrey didn't truly believe Emma cared. Noah might have, but Audrey was even having her doubts about him.

Kieran just stared at Stavo and Brooke. A look that said 'I'm sorry for shouting', they understood that much, and they knew he was in too much pain to be talking.

"Hey, it's okay. We get it, they were getting on your nerves. To be quite fair, they were on mine, too," Brooke laughed lightly as she placed her hand gently on Kieran's forearm.

"We're gonna head out. I'll stop by Tina's and grab you some shit, alright, Bro?" Stavo reached out to Kieran.

Audrey and Brooke shared a glance of speculation on whether or not Kieran would be nice enough to accept Stavo's gesture. It was a hand-shake of some sort, that the two girls knew, but it seemed so foreign to Kieran.

As Kieran chose to accept the gesture, Brooke sighed in relief and Audrey just stared. She was shocked, but also glad that Kieran didn't deny his childhood best friend their life-long handshake.

Kieran had shown her his and Stavo's handshake once. At the camp. But she never knew she'd see the boyish grin on his face again that she saw when he taught it to her. To see him with Stavo, that look of pure peace on his tired face, she knew that this was the Kieran she met 4 years ago. Of that, she was certain, but would he stay, or would he go back to being the Kieran that Piper taught him to be.

Brooke mentioned something to Audrey about coming back by later with some clothes, which Audrey was excited to hear because, hospital gowns equal yuck.

``I'm in need of a Savior, but I'm not asking for favors; My whole life I've felt like a burden - I think too much and I hate it``

Once they were alone, the silence between Audrey and Kieran became comfortable. It was almost like the days when they would sneak out to the lake by the camp; the days when Kieran would want to swim and Audrey, who didn't know how to swim, just wanted to play on the shore and build a fort in case it rained. She was always the proactive one, thinking just that little bit ahead. Kieran just wanted to go be unsupervised. And if any counselors ever caught them at the lake, he always took the blame. Kieran always told the counselors that he convinced her to go with him so he would stay out of trouble.

But that summer, the last summer they spent together, though Piper had a hold on him, it was Audrey's favorite summer with him. Kieran had taught her to defend herself, taught her how to swim, and he taught her that no matter what anyone said, she could be a badass, even if she was little. He was her best friend. They were each others worlds those two summers, so when Piper stole Kieran from Audrey, she knew she'd lost. Piper always got what she wanted. Something Piper had been right about that day at the courthouse - No one cared about or wanted Audrey, but Piper made sure of that. Audrey felt alone. Brooke was starting to help Audrey not feel so alone, though.

In the silence of the hospital room, Audrey could hear Kieran's breathing. He was hurting, still. His labored breaths gave him away.

"Ya know, they gave you that lovely little Morphine button for a reason," a slight sideways grin plastered his face at Audrey's comment.

"I don't need Morphine. I need Rum," a slight hum left his lips following the name of his favorite alcohol.

"Like father, Like son..."

Audrey grinned when the man who bared an extreme resemblance to Kieran walked in. Clark Hudson had always had a father-like personality with Audrey, even when she was in trouble. He would always look out for her and try to keep her out of trouble.

"For some reason, it seems as though that burn from Rum takes all other pain away," Clark added as he sat in the chair that was between the two beds. The chair sat about even with Audrey and Kieran's legs, so they could still perfectly see each other, which Audrey noted when Kieran glanced at her as Clark sat down.

"Aren't you supposed to parental control the drinking, or is okay now cause we have all almost died a million times?" Audrey grinned lopsided at the ex-sheriff.

"Kid, I swear, you have got to have the worst comments sometimes."

Audrey just laughed, "Yeah, sometimes..."

For about an hour, Clark sat with Kieran and Audrey. Not expecting how calm Kieran was, she kept her guard up for anything that could make him mad. She was very surprised when his dad showing up didn't set him off.

**FLASHBACK**

At 13 years old, Audrey had learned a few things in life; she knew what sex was, she'd smoked pot once or twice, and had her fair share of alcohol every now and again. Things she wasn't proud of, but she never could say she blamed someone else for the bad things that happened so long as she knew whose fault a problem was. That was something her mom made her learn. Never take your anger out on someone who doesn't deserve it.

At 14 years old, Wade was an angry ticking time bomb ready to blow at just about any moment. But he was always kind and caring, and even considerate to Audrey. He always made sure she was okay and that she wasn't bullied because she was his best friend. Aside from Stavo, Audrey was kind of his only friend. And he didn't want to lose that because she understood him. More than most, anyways.

The duo had snuck out after curfew, and here they were sitting at the lake. All Audrey heard behind her, as she was facing the camp and he was facing the lake, was Wade going on and on about how his mom never let him do anything, and how all she did was sit at home and complain about his dad and his step-dad. Then, he changed his tune and started to complain about his other parent. His father. Yelling about how he was drunk and a pill popper who didn't care enough about his son to even try to get clean.

"Hey, Wade?"

He stopped himself mid-rant to turn and face the very small girl behind him.

"Did you ever think that maybe your mom doesn't always tell you the truth? If she doesn't let you talk to your dad, then how do you know anything she's telling you is true?" Audrey was sitting cross-legged, now facing Wade. She had her elbows on her knees and her face resting on her fists. This was what he called her "thinking look".

"No, but why else would I live with my mom if my dad didn't do stupid things?" He asked as he sat down in front of her. He leaned back so his head was resting on the spot where her ankles crossed.

Audrey began to play with his hair. He always let her. Neither of them knew why. She didn't have any siblings, and since she hadn't talked to Emma since last year, she hadn't had a girl best friend in a while. He didn't have any siblings either, but he thought it felt good when she played with his hair sometimes, so he just let her. It didn't matter anyways, his hair was so short cause his mom almost always cut it within an inch of his actual head.

"I'm just saying. You only know what your mom says. Maybe you live with her cause your dad didn't want her to start a fight and you get caught up in it. Sometimes moms and dads do stupid things so they don't hurt their kids, but they just don't realize that not telling us the truth hurts more when we find out later..."

Wade could sense something was wrong. He heard her voice start to crackle and she began sniffling. He was never good with girls when they cried. It only got on his nerves. But, hearing Audrey sniffle made him made. It made him upset cause he didn't know what to do to make her feel better. She was the only friend aside from Stavo that Wade had ever cared about their feelings.

"What's wrong?" He sat up and onto his knees in front of her. He noticed that she was full-on crying now, and it only made him feel worse.

"Drey?" Her big brown and bleary, red doe eyes met his round and clear, blue ones.

"My mom has Cancer. She found out before my birthday and didn't tell me until they sent me here. She was too scared to tell me cause she knew I'd be upset."

In that very moment, Wade realized he was being pretty selfish. Here Audrey was, trying to be a good friend, trying to help with his problems and make him feel better, but he never asked how her life was back home. He never asked about her mom or her dad. She never complained, though, so that made him assume that everything was okay. He realized that he was wrong. Maybe he wasn't the only one with a bad life at home. At least he came from a family that was rather well off and he could have just about anything if he truly wanted it, he knew that she came from a family that had to work for everything they had, and to see her so hurt because her mom was sick, it made him hurt, too.

He hugged her tightly to him, thinking that he would never let the sad and defeated look she was wearing now ever cross her face again.

**END FLASHBACK**

As their talk came to an end, Audrey smiled while looking between the father and son that had seemed to have made some progress in their relationship. She also noticed a could bags on the couch behind him.

"Did Brooke and Stavo send those?" Audrey pointed at the bags, not looking away from their position on the couch.

Clark turned ever so slightly and nodded.

"Brooke said that a bomb shelter was needed earlier so I offered to bring them myself so I could make sure Emma and Noah weren't here. Speaking of, I did tell the nurses at the Nurses Station not to let them in here. I also called Noah's parents and I called Maggie. That should safe guard you both for a couple of days. Let's just hope they send you both home before then."

Clark clasped his hands together in his lap, only to simply smile.

"You know, when I was told that they were building this hospital, I originally thought it was a waste. Lakewood General was the hospital we all grew up with, it was what we knew. Sometimes, thought, sometimes things need to change for us to see the good around us."

Audrey grinned. She never understood how he could try to sound so philosophical after all the things he'd been through.

"Hey, at least there weren't as many stitches as we thought there'd be," He grinned as he traced her eyebrow bone. There were 10 alone there.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they said something along the lines of 29 stitches all together. And it doesn't even look that bad, it's mostly my eyebrow and my cheek. My jawline has a few. It was just cause the damn cuts were so long!" She exclaimed.

Clark and Kieran shared a laugh. It made Audrey happy to see them get along. She had hope that one day he'd get along with his dad if he ever got the chance.

While Clark decided to stay a bit longer, Audrey decided she wanted to go for a walk. She made her way to the bathroom and put on clothes that Brooke sent for her; a tank top that was maroon which had a black tie around the waist, and black straps with black lace on the chest, black capri leggings that had maroon accents down the sides, and her black Puma Soliel shoes which also had maroon accents. For some reason, everything Brooke got for Audrey had some shade of red.

She stepped out of the bathroom with her hair up in a ponytail and through her bag back onto the couch. Audrey stopped and turned when she felt both Kieran and his father staring at her, "What?!"

Kieran just grinned and shook his head. He knew she hated being stared at just as much as he did.

Thinking better of standing their, Audrey chose to ignore Kieran and Clark and walked right out of the room. She stopped just shy of the Nurses Station when she heard she and Brooke's names both.

"Are you sure?!" a nurse whispered frantically.

"Positive. My dad was the Doctor who did the fertility test. And now this? There is no way. And my dad was also the Doctor who delivered Audrey. Now, he made a point not to do a paternity test. Why is that?" another nurse added, just as quiet as the first.

"You're telling me, Howard Jensen is not her father?"

"Mmmhhmm. Quinn Maddox. And this blood test proves that Brooke Maddox is her half-sibling," the nurses both turned around when the heard Audrey knock over the rod with her I.V. fluids.

Both standing there with their mouths wide open staring at the smaller young woman.


	4. Shatter and Collide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song lyrics from Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons

``Hush, my dear, it's been a difficult year``

Kieran and his father both stood in the doorway of the hospital room Kieran was sharing with Audrey.

"Hey, Kid, what happened, huh?" Clark was pulling Audrey away from the nurses. He could hear her mumble under her breath about inconsiderate people who should probably comply with HIPPA if they don't want to lose their jobs.

Alright, so she shouted the bit about someone losing their jobs, but realistically, Clark didn't care. He just wanted her back in her hospital room with Kieran, where he knew she'd calm down. He sat her down right next to Kieran, who in turn slid his arm around her hips to keep her in place.

"Stupid fucki-"

"Audrey..." Clark gave her a stern look. One she had seen on his face many times before.

"Well, they shouldn't talk about shit that doesn't apply to the issue at hand..." she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms just above Kieran's forearm that was around her. She sighed angrily because, what the hell were those bitches thinking talking about that in such a public area!

"You gonna tell us what happened?" Keiran couldn't talk much more than above a whisper right now because he was still avoiding taking the morphine. His pain was at a solid 8 at the moment and he still wouldn't budge.

A tear began to fall down her cheek, which Clark noticed before Kieran.

"Hey, kiddo. Come on. If you don't want to talk about it, just say so," Clark reasoned with her. He knew something was causing her grief and didn't want to force it out of her.

He remembered back to his patrol nights when he'd catch 14 year old Audrey walking around town cause her dad was practicing a sermon too late at night, she was home alone, or she was just to upset to be at home. Those were the nights that made him realize the not only did Audrey feel like she was without parents, but the kid needed someone's guidance.

``And terrors don't prey on innocent victims``

**FLASHBACK**

"Hey, I see Audrey Jensen. She looks a little tipsy. Let me call Howard and I will call you back."

He pulled up beside her and rolled the window down as he dialed Howard's number. He could smell the vodka just pouring off the girls breath.

"Hey, Howard, it's Clark, hold on a sec. Audrey, talk to your dad, let him know you're getting a ride home from the Sheriff, will you?"

She nodded, and as she began to speak, he cringed. Her slurring was terrible.

"Alright, so what are you doing out so late, kiddo? It's 2am."

"I jus needed summm fressh airr."

He watched as she grabbed her head.

"I'm gonna stop at Vince's. Need some coffee."

Vince's was a little gas station about 3 blocks from the Jensen house. As Audrey sat in the car, she began to cry. She had just come home from summer camp and here she was drinking again. Except this time she blamed her dad. She knew she shouldn't blame him, but she did. She blamed him for not letting her go see her mother at the hospital, her mother was sick more today than ever and Audrey just wanted to be there for her. She pulled her beanie over her eyes to try to stop her tears, but it didn't help.

Clark talked to Vince for a moment while he watched the cruiser out of the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, she's a good kid, though, Clark. She's just had it a little rough since her mom got Cancer." Vince stared out towards the girl in the car.

"I know that, Vince. That's why I picked her up."

As Clark began his descent on the cruiser he could see that Audrey was in fact crying.

"What's wrong, kiddo?"

``Trust me, Darlin', trust me, Darlin'``

"My mom," she mumbled quietly.

It was the most coherent word she'd spoken to him all night. He handed her a bottle of Sprite and some chips.

"It'll help a little. I promise."

She nodded and opened the soda.

Once they had pulled in front of the Jensen home, he walked her to the door.

"You gonna be ok, Audrey?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded, "I think so, or at least I hope so."

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here, kiddo."

``So look me in the eyes, and tell me what you see``

Howard opened the door and hugged the small framed girl, "Thank you, Clark."

He nodded and walked back to the cruiser with a saddening thought on his mind. He knew how Howard delved into work with the church, and he knew that Alison was never home for all of her Cancer treatments and doctors appointments. Audrey was rather parentless. A latch key kid of sorts and that worried him because she was an outstanding and bright young girl who had a bright future ahead of her. He didn't want to see her fail.

** END FLASHBACK**

Audrey shook her head. She just could't talk about it right now. It hurt too much to hear that she had been lied to her entire life.

Her best friend was lied to, as well. She mentally shook the thought. She couldn't possibly tell Brooke this. She needed the test the nurses had to prove it. Audrey had to time it perfectly.

Audrey began to shake her head, ever so slightly, "I-I just don't want to, right now.... I don't think it's a good idea, Sheriff."

Clark chuckled slightly when she called him 'Sheriff'. He knew that would always be his name to these kids, no matter how many damn Sheriff's come through after Clark Hudson, the kids knew he was their Sheriff. He fought for those kids, even when no one was watching.

``Perfect paradise, tearing at the seams``

"Alright, I guess I will just have to let it go, then. I do need to head home, being as it's getting pretty late. I'll be back early in the morning. Probably 8:30-ish," Clark shuffled around the hospital room and hugged both the teens. As he quietly made his exit, Kieran watched him like a hawk as he walked out their door and towards the elevators. 

Sure his father was out of ear-shot, Kieran glanced at Audrey and whispered loud enough for just her to hear, "I sense a plan, and a story......" his dirty blonde locks, what little still covered his eyes, hung like a curtain above his right eye, as he was leaning on his right side.

Audrey gave a small, sad smile.

"I want that report on the nurses desk," she stared blankly out the door then quickly scattered to shut the sliding glass. "The nurses, they were talking about how my dad isn't my dad and they think Quinn is.... I need to know, Kieran..... I need to know....."

Audrey was sitting in the recliner at the corner of the room clutching a blanket to her chest. She was sitting with her legs pulled up in front of her. Her brown eyes wide from worry. She wasn't worried about whether or not Howard was her father though, she was worried about if he knew it or not.

Kieran nodded and got up, knowing his heart monitor would send the two night nurses into the room, giving Audrey enough time to clamber out of the room quickly.

Just as Audrey ran out of the room, the two nurses were just as quickly in the room scolding Kieran about not getting out of bed because his wounds, though they are on his upper body, would still make it difficult to use his lower body. Mainly from pain or pain killers. They made it a point to check and make sure Kieran wasn't abusing his morphine drip while they were in there. Once Audrey re-entered the room, the nurses gave embarrassed glances and scrambled out.

"Bitches....." Audrey mumbled under her breath causing Kieran to give a breathy chuckle.

Sighing shakily, Audrey opened the test results that the nurses where sure proved that Audrey was indeed Brooke's paternal half-sister. Her eyes widened, but Kieran, unaware of all the test showed, just stared at her waiting for her response.

"I-it's not just..... this test.... it's.... it's not..... it compares old lab work from when Brooke was here six months ago to mine from tonight. But, that's not all that's here. There's a paternity test from Quinn. They said 'He' refused one, I assume, my dad..."  
Audrey sat on her bed and shook her head in disbelief.

"Quinn Maddox is my father."


End file.
